Wasted Days

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

the Colorado Experience: Chapter 7 (and some randoms from my point and shoot that date back quite a bit)

Don't ask me. I lost everything at 7,000'. Movie?

15 minutes after touchdown we were at the Bennett Bowl. It was Jer's FS boardslide in the street course that stole the show though.

Between each trip I have 358 days to find new spots. This was a new one and while Matt and I looked for angles Jer stepped up to the drop. Matt and I were both pleased to see him charging stuff this year. None of us are spring chickens but he hit this year harder than most and seeing him stoked got us stoked. Yay Jeremy. Never stop.

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This wall was at an aggressive angle. But then again Matt's an aggressive dude so it worked out.

Seekers of the spots. If you follow me on instagram you may have seen the little wave bank at the top of this spillway.

Somehow this spot when unnoticed for the past 7 years. Denver's version of the Hook. It's a rough one. Bring some slightly softer 'thane.

Endless miles logged by our chauffer. The talks on these long drives are the best. We have a full year to catch up on and endless stories to retell. And sometimes (always) we talk about Chevy Chase movies.

We pass a damn gas station every hundred yards for a thousand miles, but when you really need one...you end up walking your ass off! Not the first time we've been on fumes.

We had all day to get to Salida so it was either skate or find someplace to explore. We knew we'd be back in Denver later in the week so we opted for exploring. Great Sand Dunes National Park was just slightly out of the way but well worth the detour.

No trails. Just park the car and start walking. They say your footprints only last a day or so before the winds pick up and erase them.................FOREVER!

Matt and I went on ahead since daylight was fading and Jer and Lisa had to get Payton ready to hike. Here we are with our shadows being cast toward the Rio Grande National Forest. If you know how many fingers it takes to make the shaka sign then you know how many fingers I am holding up.

It's easier to walk close to the ridge where the sand is more compacted. A few feet lower and it gets much more difficult. We found this out the hard way when we got tired of following other people's tracks and just cut a straight line to the highest point. Ever hear the expression 1 step forward, 2 steps back? I think it was invented at the Great Sand Dunes National Park when someone got tired of following other people's tracks and just cut a straight line to the highest point.

Perfect spot to give the hammy's a breather. Lose the T-neck if you got it.

We read about how brutal the wind was and how the sand would sting like needles and get into every opening of your body. I opted for the gaiters but fortunately the wind was nil and the temp was perfect. Lisa works in the medical field and has been warning us about eye cancer since day 1so the shades stayed engaged.

The Millers stayed at a lower elevation after Payton face planted on the way up so they opted for family photos while we dicked around up top. Getting back down to them was fun. Running down steep dunes is awesome.

jersey = game day.

3 Amigos and a Baby

varying levels of stoke

This shot actually worked out way better than I thought it would.

When we left Telluride Jer drove us almost a 6th of the way across the country in the wrong direction so the least he could do was stop at a scenic lookout to turn around.

Matt with a carve in Carbondale. Love this park. Hadn't skated it in almost 8 years. If you want a leg burner, lap the park with all carves, no kick turns.

I didn't break any sticker pasting challenges in the cradle but hitting the walls coming back upstream out of it felt awesome. Skateboarding rules hard.

Sunrise on Buford Lane on our last morning.

jack/whack/snake shack

The Badlands - Gassenhauer

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Zia checks the F-stop for the group photo Holiday Skate Center's holiday party.

Everything under here is from my little point and shoot. It dates way back to June. I wanted to add captions to these too but blogger started rearranging them every time I tried so fuck it.